Plate for protecting the bottoms of shoes



(No Model.)

, A. N. ROSE.

PLATE FOR PROTECTING THE BOTTOM OF SHOES. No. 250,581. Patented 1300.6,1881.

N. PETERS Plwlmulhngmpher. Washinglun. an

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEicE.

ALBERT N. ROSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLATE FOR PROTECTING THE BOTTOMS OF'SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,581, dated December 6, 1881. Application filed August 8, 1881. (No model.)

I 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT N. Rosa, of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Plates for Protecting the Bottoms of Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of my improved toe-plate for hob-nail shoes; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of a shoe, showing the plate applied thereto.

My invention relates to that class of shoes known in the trade as hob-nail shoes, and it consists of an improved form of plate for protecting the toe portion of such shoes, as hereinafter described and claimed.

It has heretofore been customary in making hob-nail shoes to drive nails around the edge of the sole at the toe, such nails having heads adapted in form to be bent down and thus extended over the edge or side somewhat, to protect it as well as the face or bottom of the sole from the injuries to which such shoes are exposed in use.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a malleable metal plate suitable in form and construction to be applied to the toe of such a shoe, and thereby avoid the increased expense and injury to the bottom of the shoe incident to the use of hob-nails, as above stated.

In general terms my invention consists of a toe-plate having a curved face or bottom plate for covering and protecting the bottom of the sole at or around the toe, and a series or succession of lugs separate from each other and projecting upward from the periphery of the face-band, such lugs being adapted to be bent separately against and thereby fitted to the edge of the sole, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, A (see Fig. 1) represents a toe-plate made in accordance with my invention. It is made of malleable cast metal, and consists of a curved face-piece, a, hereinafter more fully described, and a series or succession of separate upwardly-projecting lugs, 0, having, by preference, fiat inner faces adapted to fit to the edge of the sole, and rounded or oval outer faces resembling in appearance the heads of hob-nails usually employed, as above described.

Heretofore in toe-plates of this class a substantially-continuous ed ge-protecting band has been employed, somewhat like the band a a on the heel-plate shown in Fig. 2. The principal objections to such form of band are that, if made thick enough to afford the protection desired in the use to which such shoes are placed, they would be too heavy; also, such continuous edge-band cannot readily be fitted tightto the edges ot'soleshaving dift'erentforms and slopes.

In my improved plate each lug 0 can be bent and fitted to its position tight to the edge of the sole independently of others, thereby preventing danger of catching them against or on other objects, which might seriously trip or hinder the workman; also, by making the divisions or scallops 0 between lugs extend well down to the face-band a, the entire plate can be fitted more readily to shoes of different forms. I prefer to make these lugs 0 approximately in the form of the heads of hob-nails, and arrange them at about the same distance apart at which such nails are usually driven.

The face-band a may be made of any desired width, and in doing this I makea plain unbroken band-part, a, say, about one-half inch Wide, more or less, and in case it is desired to cover more surface on the shoebot-tom, this band is made of corresponding width with cuts or notches t" in its inner edge, as in Fig.2, thereby reducing the plain part of the band to about the width before stated. In this way the desired amount of surface may be covered substantially, and also the plate, as a whole, may readily be bent and fitted to the part to which it is to be applied. The notches t divide the inner edge of the band into a succession of projections or lugs, t, which may be of any desired length, width, and thickness adapted to afford the necessary strength, and give the desired protection to the bottom of the shoe. These separate projections t' may also be bent and fitted readily to the shoe-bottom, and, being slightly elastic or yielding, the shoe thus fitted will be easier for the wearer than a shoe having a solid plate on its bottom covering a corresponding area.

The plates may be secured in place by nails a through holes a in band a, in any desired number.

Such a plate can be made with trifling expense, and can be fitted and applied to the part 5 desired with much less expense, time, and labor than are involved in driving and bending ordinary hob-nails. It is also an improvement on shoe wear-plates, which are applied by specially fitting the outer plate or lift of the shoe- :0 bottom, since it can be applied equally Well to shoes of the various ordinary forms or patterns, or to shoes made without special reference to such application. A shoe fitted with such plates is better protected and more durable than one 15 cut with hob-nails around the edge; and on account of this and of its improved appearance it is more salable than the old form of shoe. If desired, nails may be driven, as heretofore, in such parts of the shoe-bottom as are not 20 covered by the plates.

The heel-plate herein shown and referred to Will form the subject-matter of a separate application for patent.

I claim herein as my invention The malleable toe-plate A, having a curved 2 5 face or bottom plate or band, a, and'a series of edge-protecting lugs, 0, separate or divided from each other, and projecting upward from the outer periphery of band a, such lugs being adapted to be bent separately and independ- 30 ently against the edge of the sole, snbstantiall y as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto se my hand.

ALBERT N. ROSE.

Witnesses:

R. H. WHITTLEsEY, (J. L. PARKER. 

